Machine for operating on shoe-soles.



F. N. LA CHAPELL E.

MACHINE FOR OPERATING 0N SHOE SOLES.

. APPLICATION FILED APR. l9. 19l3.

Patented Feb. 20, 1917.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET I madam Z 'M 1N5 NORRIS PEYERS CD PNU'ID-LITNQ.WISHINGIDN. D. C

F. N..LA CHAPELLE.

'MACHINE' FOR OPERATING ON SHOE SOLES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 19, 1913- l I. 1,217,122. Patented Feb-20, 1917.

2 shins-swan 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

, FRED N. LA oHaP LLE, QF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, AssIeNo TO: UNITEDSHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEWJERSEY;

Application filed A ril 19, 1913. Serial No. 762,175.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRED/"N. LA OHA- PELLE,21citizen of the United States, residing at Beverly, in the county ofEssex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovementsjn Machines for Operating on Shoe-Soles; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, cle ar, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to machines for operating upon the soles ofshoes, and particularly to machines for preparing insoles of lastedshoes for sewing.

When the lasting operation has been completed, the leather of theinsole, even though 1 it has been tempered in some prior operation, isusually hard and brittle and consequently unfit for sewing. It 'istherefore essential before the shoe ispresented to the 7 inseam or othersewing machine, for the purpose of attaohingthe upper and insoletogether by stitches passing through the upper and the between substanceof the insole,

to temper thoroughly the between substance so that the needle willpenetrate the material easily and make a clean puncture therethrough,and so that the thread will not out into the leather to any considerableextent when the stitches aredrawn taut. The insole is Often tempered bydipping the sole of the lasted shoe in water. This-is objectionable,since it often results in stainingthe lining of the shoe and the leatherof the upper. It is frequently the practice 'to moistenthebetweensubstance by running a wet brush along the same, or bydischarging water from a can having a tapered nozzle which the operatorruns along the channel. laborious, and it is difficult to moisten thebetween substance thoroughly and uniformly by either of ,these lastmentioned methods. During the lasting operation the channel lip of theinsole is often bent down close to the body of the inso1e,;m'aking itdifficult to .insertthechannel. guide of the sewing machine in thechannel. The resistance of the lip when it lies down close to the bodyof the insole may cause the channel guide during the sewing operation toleave the base of the channel or. even to become completely disengagedfrom the chan These hand operations are slow and MACHINE FOR OPERATINGON SHOE-SOLES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb, 20, 191 '7.

'is' presented to a sewing machine for attaching the upper and insoletogether, the

operator may thoroughly moisten the between substance of the insolequickly and easily without wetting other portions of the shoe.

Another Object of the invention is'to produce a machine'by which in oneoperation the between substance of the insole of a lasted shoe may bemoistened and the channel lip turned out 'awayfrom the body of theinsole'to prepare the shoe for subsequent sewing. operations.

With these objects in view the invention contemplates the provision ofvarious novel and advantageous features set forth in the followingdescription and pointed out in the claims.

The features of the invention will be readily understood from aninspection of the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred formof the invention, and the following detailed description thereof.

In thedrawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying theinvention; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in vertical sectionillustratinga portion of the V mechanism for controlling the dischargeof liquid through the nozzles of the wetting device; Fig. 3 is a detailview partly in horizontal section illustrating a portion of themechanism for controlling the discharge of liquid through the nozzles ofthe wetting device; and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective viewillustrating the lip ,lifting tool, the nozzles Ofth'e wetting device,and a shoe in operating position with relation to the-tool. v

The machine illustrated in the drawings comprisesa rotary 'lipliftingtool which is arranged to engage in the channel of the insole and tolift and turn back the channel lip. This tool, indicated at 1, ismountedto rotate on a substantially vertlcal sums,

and is provided with a series of flat faces which successively engagethe lip with a sharp impact toset the lip in upturnedposition. Themanner in which the tool engages the lip is illustrated particularly inFig. 4i; The tool is secured in any suitable manner, as by means of athreaded shank, to the lower end of a substantially vertical rotaryshaft 3 mounted to rotate in spaced bearings at and 5 in the forward endof an arm 6 on the frame of the machine. A pulley 7 is fixed to theshaft 8, and the shaft is rotated by means of a belt 8 passing aboutsaid pulley and extending rearwardly therefrom about two pulleys, one ofwhich is shown at 9. The belt extends from the pulleys 9 about anysuitable driving pulley (not shown). The tool is preferably rotated. insuch a direction that the lip engaging face of the tool moves in theopposite direction from that in which the shoe is fed, so that the toolwill have a marked wiping action on the lip. In the illustratedembodiment of the invention the tool-is rotated in a lefthand direction,and in the operation of the machine the shoe is fed from left to right,as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4c.

The machine is provided with a moistening device comprising a tank 10for the reception of any suitable moistening liquid, with which tank isconnected a discharge pipe 11. This pipe extends downwardly andforwardly to a point adjacent the shaft 3, and is provided with a pairof discharge nozzles 12 and 13 arranged on opposite sides of the liplifting tool. The end of the nozzle 12 is flattened to form a narrowmouth arranged to extend transversely to the channel when operating uponthe insole. The end of the nozzle is located in advance of the tool withrelation to the direction of feed, and is placed with relation to thelip lifting tool so that it discharges upon the outer face of thechannel lip and the between substance adjacent thereto. The lip and thesubstance at the base of the lip are moistened by the liquid dischargedfrom the nozzle 12 before the lip is acted upon by the tool, therebyenabling the tool to lift the lip more easily than if the lip were drywhen it reached the tool. Since the lip is moistened when it is actedupon by the tool, the lip tends to retain its upward position after itis lifted. The nozzle 13 is arranged to the rear of the tool in thedirection in which the shoe is fed, and is flattened at its ex tremitytoform a narrow mouth extending parallel with the channel of the insole.The extremity of the nozzle 13 is placed with relation to the liplifting tool so that when themachine is in operation it extends downfairly close to the bottom of the channel, and the liquiddischarged fromthis nozzle thoroughly moistens the base of the lip and the betweensubstance at the bottom of the channel. The liquid discharged from thenozzle 12 upon the outside of the between substance, and the liquiddischarged from the nozzle 13 within the channel, soaks into the leatherand thoroughly impregnates the between substance with moisture.

It is essential for the satisfactory working of the machine that thedischarge of liquid from the tank 10 through the pipe 11 be controlledso that the liquid flows through the discharge nozzles when the machineis operating upon a shoe, and that when the shoe is removed from the ma-I chine the flow of liquid through the nozzles is arrested. Inpresenting the various portions of the shoe to the action of the liplifting tool and the moistening device, the operator requires the use ofboth hands to hold and manipulate the shoe. In the present invention,means is provided by which the operator, after placing the shoe inoperating position with relation to the tool, by

a simple and convenient movement of the shoe may open the dischargeoutlet of the tank 10 connected with the pipe 11, and which acts whenthe shoe is removed to close the discharge outlet and cut ofl the supplyfrom the discharge nozzles. In the construction illustrated, the supplytank 10 is provided with a discharge opening 14, and the flow of liquidthrough said opening is controlled by a valve. This valve is constructedas illustrated in Fig. 2, and com prises a head 15 which engages asuitably shaped seat formed by the wall of the discharge opening. Thevalve is provided with a valve stem 16 connected with the head whichslides through a suitable opening in a valve casing 17 secured to thebase of the supply tank, and the valve is held normally in engagementwith the valve seat by a coiled spring 18 surrounding the valve stem andengaging the head 15 and the valve casing at its respective extremities.The liquid from the tank flows into the valve casing through openings 19formed in said casing. The discharge opening 11 leads from the supplytank to a chamber formed by a housing 20, in which chamber is located aportion of the valve operating mechanism. Said mechanism comprises anarm 21 mounted on a rock shaft 22 journaled in the housing 20, theforward end of which arm engages beneath a downwardly projecting nose onthe head of the valve. The shaft 22 is journaled at one extremity in astep bearing 23 formed in the housing. The other bearing 21 for saidshaft is formed by a bore through the housing, and the shaft 22 extendsthrough the bearing 24: and projects beyond said bearing outside thehousing. A second arm. 25 is secured to the shaft 22 outside the housing20, and extends forwardly over the upper end of the vertical shaft 3which carries the lip lifting tool. In the mechanism described, bylifting the outer end of the arm 25, the

arm 21 will be raised therewith, and will lift the valve from its seatand permit the liquid to flow through the discharge opening 14 into thechamber formed by the housing 20. The discharge pipe 11 is connectedwith the interior of said housing. The shaft 3 is arranged for verticalmovement in its bearings 4 and 5, so that when the shoe is engaged withthe lower end of the tool by pressing the shoe upward or in thedirection of the axis of the shaft, the shaft may be lifted vertically.The upward movement of the shaft is limited by the engagement of a stopcollar 26 with the upper bearing 5 of the shaft, and the downwardmovement of the shaft in its bearings is limited "by the engagement ofthe pulley 7 with the lower bearing 4. The arm 25 is normally held bygravity in engagement with the upper end of the shaft 3. The parts areconstructed and arranged so that when the shaft 3 is in its lowermostposition, with the pulley 7 in engagement with'the bearing 4:,

the valve is closed and the flow of liquid through the pipe 11 isarrested.

In presenting the shoe to the machine, the operator holds the shoe withthe portion of the margin of the sole at which he desires to begin theoperation substantially parallel with the line between the ends of thenozzles of the wetting device, and then manipulates the shoe to. engagethe tool beneath the channel lip. 'VVhen the shoe is thus engaged withthe tool, by a slight upward pressure of the work against'the lower endof the tool, the shaft 3 is raised in its bearings, thereby raising theforward end of the arm 25 which is in engagement with the upper end ofthe shaft, and raising the arm 21 to open the valve. The operatormaintains this upward pressure of the work against the lower end of thetool while manipulating the shoe to bring the different portions of themargin thereof into operating position with relation to the tool and tothe nozzles of the wetting device. The upward pressure of tie shoeagainst the lowerend of the tool holds the tool firmly in the channeland keeps the valve of the Wetting device open so that the moisteningliquid may flow freely from the nozzles during the o eration of themachine. When the lip li ting and wetting operation has been completed,and the shoe is moved downwardly to disengage it from the tool, theshaft 3 descends, thereby permitting the arms 25 and 21 to descend, andthe valve to be closed by the action of the coiled spring 18. The

liquid which is in the pipe 11 and in the discharge nozzles 12 and 13,when-the valve is closed, will be held from flowing out of the mouths ofthe nozzles by the pressure of the air.

While the invention has been illustrated as embodied in a machine whichis designed stance of the insole of a lasted shoe, and for liftingthelip of the insole, certain features of the invention are not limited tomachines for operating upon insoles, but may be employed in treatingother parts of a shoe either before or after the parts are assembled ona last. It is also to be understood that except as defined in the claimsthe invention is not limited to any particular construction orarrangement of parts.

Having explained the nature and object of the invention, and havingspecifically described a machine embodying the invention in itspreferred form, what is claimed is 1. A machine for operating upon theinsoles of shoes, having, in combination a lip lifting tool, means. fordischarging liquid upon the outer face of the insole along the channellip in advance of the tool, and means for discharging liquid within thechannel after the lip is lifted by the tool.

A machine for operating upon shoe soles, having, in'oombination, amovable lip lifting tool, means for operating the tool to lift the lip,and means to moisten the lip before it is acted upon by the tool.

)3. A machine for operating upon shoe soles, having, in combination, alip lifting tool arranged to enter the channel of the sole and lift thelip from the sole, a moistening device comprising a source of liquidsupply, a'pipe leading therefrom, a valve for controlling the supply ofliquid'through the pipe, means arranged for operation by movement of theWork when the tool is in engagement with the work for opening the valve,and means for closing the valve when thelwo-rk is moved to disengage itfrom the too.

4. A machine for operating on shoe soles,

having, in combination, a lip lifting tool arranged to enter the channelof the sole and lift the lip from the sole, a moistening devicecomprising a source of liquid supply, a pipe leading therefrom, a valvefor controlling the flow of liquid through the pipe,

means operated by the pressure of the work against the tool for openingthe valve, and

'tool for turning back the lip of the sole,

means to rotate the tool, and a moistening devic acting in advance ofthe tool.

7 A machine for operating on shoe soles,

having, in combination, a lip lifting tool, means for moistening the lipand the sub stance of the sole adjacent thereto before the lip is actedupon by the tool, and means for moistening the substance within thechannel after the lip is lifted by the tool.

8. A machine for operating on shoe soles, having, in combination, asource of liquid supply, a nozzle connected with said supply and havingan elongated discharge opening extending transversely to the channel fordischarging liquid upon the outer face of the sole along the channel,and a second nozzle connected with said supply and havan elongateddischarge opening arranged parallel with and extending down into thechannel for discharging liquid inside the channel.

9, A machine for operating on shoe soles, having, in combination, a liplifting tool, and means for discharging liquid within the channel afterthe lip is lifted by the tool.

10. A machine for operating on shoe soles, having, in combination, meansfor lifting the lip, a source of liquid supply, and a pair of nozzlesfor discharging liquid at difierent points on the sole in proximity tothe lip lifting means to temper the sole.

11. A machine for operating on shoe soles,

having, in combination, a source of liquid supply, anozzle connectedwith said supply and having an elongated discharge opening extendingtransversely to the channel for discharging liquid upon the outer faceof the sole along the channel, a second nozzle connected with saidsupply and having an elongated discharge opening arranged parallel withand to extend down into the channel for discharging liquid inside thechannel, a valve for controlling the discharge of liquid from thenozzles, and means controlled by the presentation of the work to and theremoval of the work from the machine for opening and closing the valve.

12. A machine for operating upon the parts of shoes, having, incombination, an operating tool and means for discharging liquid upon thework in proximity to the tool both before and after it is acted upon bythe tool.

13. A machine for operating upon the parts of shoes, having, incombination, an

operating tool, a source of liquid supply,

and a pair of nozzles connected with said supply and arranged todischarge the liquid in proximity to the tool at different points on thework relative to said tool.

14. A machine for operating upon the parts of shoes, having, incombination, an operating tool, a source of liquid supply, and a pair ofnozzles connected with said supply and arranged upon opposite sides ofsaid tool.

15. A machine for operating upon shoe soles, having, in combination, alip lifting tool and means for discharging a moistening liquid upon thework before it is acted upon by the tool.

16. A machine for operating upon shoe soles, having, in combination, alip lifting tool, and means for discharging a moistening liquid upon thework after it is acted upon by the tool.

17 A machine for operating on shoe soles, having, in combination, a liplifting tool, means for actuating the tool independently of itsprogressive movement relative to the Work to turn the lip and set thesame in upturned position, a moistening device for discharging amoistening liquid upon the work during the operation of the toolcomprising a source of liquid supply, a pipe leading therefrom, a nozzleconnected with the pipe through which the moistening liquid isdischarged upon the work, a valve for controlling the flow of liquidthrough the nozzle, means operated by the movement of the tool producedby the pressure of the work against the tool to open the valve, andmeans to close the valve when the pressure of the work against the toolis relieved.

18. A machine for operating on shoe soles, having, in combination, a liplifting tool, means for actuating the tool independently of itsprogressive movement relative to the work to turn the lip and set thesame in upturned position, a moistening device for discharging amoistening liquid upon the work during the operation of the, toolcomprising a source of liquid supply, a pipe leading therefrom, a nozzleconnected with the pipe through which the moistening liquid isdischarged upon the work, a valve controlling the flow of liquid throughthe nozzle, and means under control of the operator for opening andclosing the valve.

7 V FRED N. LA CHAPELLE.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK L. EDMoNDs, WILLIAM B. KING.

Copies of thisvpatent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of yatents,

Washington, D. G. V

